The Noble Spice
by GryphonFledglingOfSilverWings
Summary: It was somewhat unnerving to no longer be the only voice of reason in the party, or occasionally even to have him bring her down to earth. Collection of loosely connected one-shots. Raine/Regal
1. Reassurance

She had considered it all very carefully. She was in the right, she was sure of it. This was the best way, the only way. But as she heard Lloyd scream Regal's name as the doorway collapsed behind them, she found that she couldn't breathe. They had both known this would happen. This was what they had planned. But now, now that it was there, happening in front of her, she didn't want it. It always seemed to be that way.

Then her turn came and she felt... at peace. She'd finally found the way she could make up for what she'd done. They would leave her behind, but they would carry on without her. They'd make it. Then the flash of orange wings and red hair found her in the bottom of the pit and the soothing waters of a healing stream straightened the broken bones and sealed the open wounds, and she was... almost disappointed. She was alive. She had to find some other way to atone for it all.

That night, afterwards, when they all sat about quietly, each lost in their own thoughts, there was a clink of metal chains beside her and Regal was sitting there, head bowed. He was alive as well.

"Did we do the right thing?" she asked. It was weakness, she knew it, questioning herself like that, but she needed to know.

"Yes," he said softly. "There was no other way."

"She gave so much," Raine said, looking beyond the fire to where Colette lay in the middle of a huddle of her friends, Genis pressed against her back and one of her hands extended out to be engulfed in both of Lloyd's as the boy lay across from her. She hadn't cried, not once. She'd even taken Zelos's hand and thanked him with a kiss on the cheek. Actually kissed him, the one who had betrayed them. He'd tried to steal a more intimate embrace, earning himself a blow from Sheena and a loud protest from Lloyd, but Raine had seen the shock in his eyes before he grinned lecherously to cover it. He hadn't believed it either. She'd forgiven him.

She'd forgiven Raine too, the one who had known the whole time, who would have stood there and watched her die saving the world and not lifted a finger to help. Who would have let an entire world die to save one person. Who couldn't make up her mind about which decision had been right. The sheer trust that Colette managed to exude from every fiber of her being made Raine's stomach twist in self-loathing.

They couldn't have just left her. Even if it had meant every single other one of them dying.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly to the man next to her. "I'm sorry for having asked any of that of you. It wasn't fair of me."

"Mithos is to blame," he said. She turned to look at him. He had dropped his gaze to his hands, resting between their manacles. "He is responsible for what has happened. We can only react to what he has done. Without access to his thoughts and plans, we can only do what we know to be best. You merely decided on what was the best course of action based on what we knew then. And I agreed with you. You were not alone in the decision." His shackles rattled as he drew his knees up and rested his elbows on them. He stared out into space as well. They were both quiet for a little while

"Besides, if I remember correctly, we found you in a situation much worse than my own," he said finally. "You did not ask anything of me you were not willing to do yourself."

She didn't believe him. They'd left him facing dozens of angels, trapped in room with no exits. She'd merely fallen down a hole. She had just been able to close her eyes and let herself tumble. He'd had to fight to keep the enemy at bay, because if _he_ fell, so did the rest of the party.

"If you wish to ask forgiveness from anyone," he continued, "let it be from Lloyd. It will take him time to understand."

Yes, it would. The young swordsman had been quiet, uneasy, refusing to let anyone out of his sight, as if scared they would disappear. Everyone, even Zelos and especially Colette. It was as if he were a child afraid his parents were going to leave him behind. His smile was still there and he did not cling to anyone, but she would see his eyes scan the fireside as if counting the faces. He probably wasn't even aware he was doing it. He probably didn't know just what it was that was making him so uneasy. But the way his fingers were intertwined desperately with Colette's in his sleep made it clear. Raine had to look away from them. She would have seen them separated once upon a time. She hunched uncomfortably.

"I can keep watch," Regal said. "You should rest."

"I couldn't sleep," she replied, letting one hand stray along the length of her staff where it lay in her lap. "Go ahead and rest yourself."

He didn't argue, just nodded after a moment and stood. She straightened a little and brushed her hair out of her eyes, then stiffened in surprise when he settled one of his broad, heavy hands on her shoulder instead of moving on immediately. She looked up at him. He didn't smile, but his face was soft and sincere.

"We have a difficult burden, but we do not have to bear it alone."

"Thank you."

Then he went to quietly unroll his bedding.

Zelos rolled over and said something in his sleep, stirred into not-quite wakefulness by the soft clinking of Regal's chains. Raine watched the red-haired Chosen until he settled again. She didn't hate him. She surprised herself in that she didn't. Memories of other betrayals nipped and stung. Kratos jumped immediately to mind. He had turned on them, had known all along that he would do so. He was like her in that way, knowing more than he let on from the very beginning. Zelos, the boy in a man's body, had just been lost. He'd been flailing about for attention for so long and she had missed it. She should have seen it and so she couldn't hate him for it. She hated herself for her blindness instead.

Her gaze fell on Regal as he awkwardly wrapped himself in his blankets, hindered by his shackles. For a fleeting moment, she felt the urge to walk over and tuck him in, as if he were Genis or Colette in the throes of a bad dream. Then the feeling passed. It was odd, the realization that he was too old for her to do that. With Lloyd, Colette, Presea, Sheena, even Zelos, who was only a year younger than her, she had no problem falling into the role of mother. It came second nature, after having fulfilled the role for Genis for so many years. But Regal managed to be a fellow adult, who understood and acted with a maturity befitting his years. It was somewhat unnerving to no longer be the only voice of reason in the party, or occasionally to even have him bring her down to earth. And she trusted him to do that. With Kratos, she had never been quite she he wasn't hiding something, laughing secretly at whatever they were doing.

But somehow, the phantom weight of a hand on her shoulder and the knowledge that someone else understood without judgment made her feel safe. She would be there, for Lloyd and for Colette and for the world, and there would be people, her friends, there for her.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Set right after Zelos' betrayal obviously. I tend to use that point in the game a lot, just because of how many character relationships it brings to a head at one time. A lot of stuff changes, including this dynamic here. _

_'M not sure how many chapters there will be. It's probably going to be more of a collection of loosely connected one-shots rather than having any sort of Epic Plot (tm). I like exploring characters' heads. _


	2. Understanding

"Professor Sage, you look wonderful," Regal said in greeting.

Raine turned from where she had been carefully arranging her hair around her ears for the thousandth time that night. The expensive shampoo she'd been provided at Zelos' mansion had made her hair feel beautifully silky, but it also left it so light and straight that the tips of her ears kept poking through. It made her feel vulnerable somehow. But she smiled at Regal and adjusted her glasses.

"So do you," she said, indicating his outfit with a sweep of her hand. It would definitely be rude to ask just how he had managed to get into the formal clothing with his shackles, so she didn't, but a few theories that skittered through her mind made her eyes crinkle a little in a smile. He looked good with his hair combed.

"Ah, I'm nothing special. Certainly nothing to rival the Chosen." Regal's voice was wry and teasing.

Raine indulged herself in raising one eyebrow. Zelos was swaggering through waltz and tango alike with aplomb, red tail of a braid sweeping many a bare shoulder of the ladies he was entertaining.

"He does seem to be enjoying himself," she commented dryly. Regal smiled. He seemed so at home here, in this swaying mass of silk and velvet, the smell of candle wax and old wine permeating everything. Her hand drifted up to brush her hair again.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Professor?" He had moved to stand beside her, their backs against the wall, shoulders not quite touching.

"I confess I'm not used to this many people," she said. "It is beautiful though."

Genis had mustered up the stammering courage to ask Presea for a dance, but neither of them actually knew any of the steps, so they had settled for shuffling in a slow circle. Genis's face and ears were nearly the same shade of red as his tie and Presea's eyes had their same hooded solemnity, but they were both smiling tiny smiles. Lloyd and Colette hadn't yet made their way down to the dance floor. Raine might have been tempted to go after them in her duties as chaperone, but they were in plain sight on a tiny balcony overlooking the ballroom. They were both leaning on the railing, smiles bright and shoulders innocently brushing.

Sheena was maybe the only person who didn't look like she was at ease. Raine didn't quite blame her; she was wearing an impressive lack of dress and it was drawing quite a few stares. She was clutching a glass of champagne and her spine was stiff as she nodded absently at something some older man was saying to her, his eyes on the wrong part of her body.

"Regal," Raine suddenly began, intending to ask him to take Sheena about the floor in a dance, something to brighten the girl's face and get rid of the leering man, "would you-" But she stopped as Zelos suddenly broke away from his bevy of court ladies and made some ridiculous, overblown bow before the girl from Mizuho. She scowled and said something obviously not very complimentary, but Raine saw the way her shoulders relaxed and she didn't protest all that convincingly as the redhead took her by the hand. Raine didn't quite understand the two of them, but it was clear that Zelos at least understood Sheena. It warranted further observation.

She realized that Regal was looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to finish what she had been saying. She adjusted her glasses, using the motion to touch her ear, making sure it was covered.

"Are you all right, Professor?"

"Oh yes, fine. I'm sorry. It's nothing."

He eyed her for a moment - she could feel his gaze even if she didn't meet it - and then he looked back at the dance floor.

"If I may be so bold," he began finally, "you say that far too often."

She looked up at him, eyes wide and then narrowed in surprise.

"Excuse me?"

"Forgive me. I don't mean to be rude." He wasn't meeting her gaze now, shackles clinking as he bowed demurely. She wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. But he saved her from responding by continuing to speak.

"I wouldn't ask you to share everything with me, with anyone. Everyone deserves their own secrets. I know I have plenty of shadows in my own past and things I have no wish to discuss even now." He was watching Sheena and Zelos dance. Sheena was laughing now, even harder as she stumbled over the Chosen's foot. Zelos had his hands close to dangerous areas, but he was smiling too, his eyes on Sheena's flushed face.

"But," Regal continued, "I know that you, that all of our companions, would do their best to help me with any of my problems. I would need only to share with them." Now he did meet her gaze and she stared back at him, feeling... exposed. And slightly indignant.

"Thank you," she managed without gritting her teeth. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Truly, I didn't mean to offend. That was very forward of me. I apologize." There he was, bowing again. A few strands of his hair fell down in front of his face, blue against the tan.

"No, don't." She waved a hand at him. "I should be the one to apologize. You're right. I do tend to keep more to myself than might be considered wise." Why couldn't she keep her hands away from her damn hair? She put on the brightest smile she could muster. "Believe me though, this time it really was nothing."

He returned her smile, but he didn't look quite satisfied. Of course he wouldn't, he was far too smart for that. For one icy black moment of panic, she saw Kratos before her, with his expression of far too much knowing. It sent a tingle up her spine to lodge in the back of her throat and she looked away quickly.

"Raine? I-"

"Hey, Professor Sage, you all right?"

Lloyd and Colette had finally come down from the balcony. Lloyd looked more comfortable in his suit than she would have thought, and Colette would have looked just as radiant in anything. Lloyd had a hand out, as if to catch Raine. She realized she had hunched over ever so slightly, her hands drawn to her chest, as if she were in pain.

"Oh, Lloyd. Yes, yes I'm fine. Just not quite used to the champagne, I suppose." She hadn't touched a drink all night.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." The young swordsman chuckled and swung an arm about. "It gets all in your head."

"Whoa, careful there, man!" Zelos was there, ducking under Lloyd's arm, taking Sheena down into a dip with him. "We come in peace." He had a smirk on his face, one arm around Sheena's waist as they straightened. The ninja let it sit there for the briefest of moments before she punched him in the ribs.

"Idiot." And now Genis and Presea, both holding plates piled high with chocolate-covered strawberries and finger cakes. Raine suddenly felt crowded. They were all there for each other, all looking out for one another, for her. She took her glasses off and massaged the bridge of her nose with fingers that suddenly felt too tense, too numb.

"I'm going to get some fresh air," she said quietly.

Regal didn't offer to accompany her. Instead, he bowed gently, allowing for her privacy.

"Do you want me to come with you, Professor?" Colette had her hands clasped in concern.

"No, I'll be fine. Someone has a perfume that's giving me a bit of a headache, that's all."

"Bit stuffy in here, isn't it?" Zelos was pretending that he wasn't holding bruised ribs. "Be careful, all right? Not everyone around is as charming as I am."

"Thank goodness," Raine muttered, prompting a laugh from Genis and Lloyd and offended whining from Zelos. It covered her exit, keeping her from hearing any protest Regal might have voiced. Not that he would have made any.

She dragged her fingers down her hair, mussing it as she arranged it down the sides of her head, as she retreated from the net of support being woven for her.

He found her in the end anyway, or rather she found him after she'd wandered through the halls for nearly an hour. He was standing in one of the few balconies to the outside that didn't have some secretive couple in it, his bound hands resting lightly on the railing. He didn't seem any more surprised to see her than she was to see him.

"I'm sorry," she said as she came to stand beside him. "Am I bothering you?"

"Of course not. Your company is always welcome." He still looked out over the top of the city, but his body was turned toward her, including her rather than pushing her away.

"Sorry," she said again, "for just leaving like that. It was a bit much." The volume was beginning to leave her hair with her constant handling and it was easier to pull into place now.

"Mmm, sometimes a large social gathering can be quite overwhelming. The others understood."

There he went again, understanding what she wasn't saying. She stepped forward and laid her own hands on the railing.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Professor," he said finally.

"No, it wasn't your fault. I've just never been very good with sympathy. It always seemed a bit useless to me when I was younger."

He looked over at her, but didn't speak, didn't press for more.

"Thank you, Regal," she said finally, meeting his gaze, "for being honest with me."

He smiled then and slowly reached his hands over to brush her hair behind her ears, those pointed ears, the half-elf ears that she'd hidden from everyone, exposing them to the night air. She didn't move.

"Honesty suits you," was all he said. And despite the nest of snakes those words set squirming in her stomach as every secret she'd ever withheld from him, still withheld from him, came to mind, she smiled back.

"Then I suppose I could stand to practice it a little more, couldn't I?"

"Far be it from me to teach the teacher."

She resisted the urge to pull her hair over her ears again as they made their way back into the ballroom.

* * *

><p><em>AN: This turned out more blatantly shippy than I meant it to, but I'm still happy with it. Couples you see here are the couples I tend to support in this game (at least for mutual interest - some one-sided ships are fun to write about too). Sheelos (Sheena/Zelos), Gensea (Genis/Presea), Colloyd (Collete/Lloyd) and of course, the Regal/Raine dynamic which I have yet to find a portmanteau couple name I'm happy with. Pairs everyone up sort of incredibly neatly, I know, but hey... I didn't actually really see Regal/Raine as a potential couple until the sequel when they did their adorable little flirting espionage _(and believe me, it was one of the only good things to come out of the sequel). This story may actually continue into the sequel, just for that dynamic, but we'll see. If anything, it will be broad strokes of canon rather than details.__

_I actually used to be a Kraine (Kratos/Raine) shipper way back in the early hours of the game, just because I had an overdeveloped sense of shipping. Now I sort of see Kratos as being a secret fear of Raine's: sort of the extreme of who she was in the beginning and what she feared turning into. He knew what Colette was going through and kept silent, Raine knew what Collette was going through and kept silent. He was hiding the fact that he was an angel, she was hiding the fact that she was a half-elf. Sort of irrational on her part, but I really see Raine as having a more complex psyche than maybe even Zelos. She's not my most favorite character of all time, but boy is she fun to write about._


	3. Forgiveness

_A/N: Set after rescuing everyone from Mithos's illusions._

* * *

><p>She found him staring at his hands a little ways from everyone, at the foot of one of the shorter staircases in the side chambers of Mithos's castle. He blinked in surprise when Raine came to stand next to where he sat, his shoulder reaching her hip.<p>

"Have you spoken to Presea?" she asked finally, knowing it was rude, maybe even insensitive, but not taking it back.

"Yes, I spoke with her." He shifted, pulling his knees up to rest his elbows on them.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked quietly.

She wouldn't have been offended if he'd said no. She'd even pushed Genis away for several hours until he'd come up to her apart from everyone else and hugged her determinedly until she broke down crying. They'd held each other for a long time, him cradled in her lap like he was three again and her face buried in his tousled mess of hair.

It was the way of it. Everyone had been breaking apart into pairs and tiny groups the whole night, not of exclusion, but of comfort. Right now, Lloyd was patiently allowing Presea to wrap the wound on his arm. It was mostly healed from a gel, he had insisted and he'd done it himself anyway, but she'd been adamant and he'd had to relent. It was her way of healing and his way of letting her heal. Sheena had a hand on Zelos's back as he muttered the incantation for another healing spell on himself. She hadn't left his side the entire night, as if she were afraid he would do something, and he hadn't made a pass at her, as he were afraid he would drive her away. Colette and Genis were sitting with their backs against each other; Colette fingering her pendant and Genis absently braiding a few strands of Colette's hair that reached over his shoulder, as if trying to soothe her. They were quiet, whispering back and forth the simple comforts of children.

And Regal sat apart, quiet in the echoes of her question.

"Alicia would never have asked someone to die," he said finally, gaze dropping back down to his shackles.

"Mithos knew the exact thing that would most shake our resolve, for each of us," Raine said quietly. No one had asked what any of the others had seen in their illusions, but somehow, without prompting, each had told their story. Lloyd was their common link, the one who had been privy to each and every one of their darkest fears, and in his lack of judgment, each of them had found the strength to be judged.

"I'd wanted to follow her for so long," he continued, "but I'd never had the courage."

"It doesn't take courage to die," Raine said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "It was hard for both of you, but now you have faced it. Courage is going on, despite the pain."

"Thank you."

There was a moment of silence, then she jumped a little as he raised his hands to lay one on top of hers.

"Your mother does love you," he said gently. She just nodded.

"I - I know that. I knew she couldn't possibly be there... that her mind is too far gone to say such things, and yet it still managed to fool me." The journal hadn't taken the sting away, merely given her some understanding as to the nature of the pain. She didn't imagine it would ever fully leave. But she felt more at peace now. "I wasn't fishing for reassurance though."

"No, no of course not." He bowed his head. "Forgive me." His hand withdrew from hers, but she caught his fingers with her free hand.

"Even if she didn't, it's all right. There are many people in this world, all of whom are worthy of loving and being loved by in return."

"Like Lloyd?"

The way the glass had shattered beneath the boy's fist, the way he had run through to them, his words still ringing in her ears...

"Mm, like Lloyd. And you."

He blinked. She let his hand go but he didn't withdraw immediately.

"You love others so well. I can only hope to learn to do so the way you do."

"I don't-"

"It's admirable, you know," she said, looking away, "that you have still loved Alicia for so long."

"Heh, some would say it was foolish." He did draw his hand away then and she lifted her own hand from his shoulder.

"Some have never loved at all," she said, sharper than she meant to. She wasn't used to modesty, even after having travelled with him for so long. Self-deprecation was something she never was quite sure how to handle. Didn't others see their own worth? Their own goodness? She realized that might have been what so unnerved her about Kratos all that time; his self-loathing. It was something she hated, hated because of its familiarity within herself.

"I'm selfish," she continued, putting her hands on her hips and marching around to stand in front of him. "I always have been. It was always about me and Genis. No one else mattered, so long as we survived. But you... You gave up everything, everything, for someone you loved. You joined a group of strangers to help complete strangers."

"You protected the Chosen, didn't you?" he asked mildly, his head tilted back ever so slightly to look up at her from where he was still sitting. "Wasn't that to save a world of complete strangers?"

There it was. That horrible, niggling guilt that would not leave. Regal knew the story. He knew how Colette had been going to sacrifice herself to save the world. But Raine had to tell him herself, to get the weight out in the open. Because she was still selfish.

"I protected the Chosen so that she wouldn't die before she reached the end of her journey, because she was supposed to die in a particular place, at a particular time, in a particular way. It was a meaningless protection. How can you protect someone so that they can be killed? What kind of sense does that make?"

She was whispering. The others weren't too far away. The groups had shifted ever so slightly again, with Lloyd sitting with Zelos and Sheena and Presea joining Genis in braiding Colette's hair, more elaborately now.

"I did it because I wanted to live, because by sacrificing Colette, I could live a little longer in the world with my brother."

"And yet, you travel with us still."

"Yes, because I... I have been forgiven." Speaking the words out loud, she felt her throat catch. "They forgave me. They have forgiven you too, Regal. Both of us, all of us, forgiven." Her voice was rising a little and Genis looked back, his brow wrinkled in concern, but she merely lowered her voice again and continued.

"All that is left is for us to forgive ourselves."

He was still looking at her and she lowered her hands from her hips self-consciously, realizing she'd gone into a lecture. But he just sort of smiled, more of a quirk of his mouth than anything. His eyes were bright and she realized he was crying. Or had been. Suddenly ashamed of herself, of her own stupid, self-centered rant, she brushed her hair back behind her ear, pushed it back down, then whirled around on her heel and knelt next to him.

"I'm sorry," she said, her legs folded under her to keep herself from pulling her knees to her chest. She could feel Genis's gaze still on her. When had he started looking out for her as much as she looked out for him?

"No," Regal said, cutting off anything she might have been going to say if she'd actually been able to think of something. "Thank you, Professor."

Genis came over after a minute or two to sit, trailing Colette with her hair in lopsided twists.

"Hey, sis."

"Hello, Genis," she said as he sat down next to her, close enough that he could lean on her. His head was heavy on her shoulder. Presea had come too and Raine saw her hesitate, eyes flickering towards Regal, before she sat on the other side of Genis. Colette just flopped down, a bit subdued but wearing a smile, on the floor before the staircase, making them a lopsided circle.

It wasn't long before Lloyd came to join the quiet conversation, the swordsman sitting close to Colette, her back against his shoulder. Zelos and Sheena appeared after a longer period and finished the circle, each of them on an opposite side of Lloyd and Colette.

The distance closed as everyone talked and even attempted gentle ribbing about inconsequential things. They didn't avoid anything, but it didn't come up as they grew back together in voices quiet enough not to echo.

Darkness didn't fall inside this massive space, but slowly, conversation ceased and one after the other, they began to lay down and sleep where they were. Heads rested on stomachs and knees were shoved into shoulders, but it was a comfortable crush. Raine found one of Regal's manacles digging into the space between her shoulder blades and Genis's hair fluttered about her nose with every breath, but it was warm, secure.

The only one who didn't stretch out was Lloyd. Raine watched him as he sat in the middle of his friends, Colette's head on his knee and Zelos's elbow punching him in the spine. He was looking from face to sleeping face, smiling his soft, brainless smile. When he caught her eye, the smile widened just a little.

"Can't sleep, Professor?" he asked softly.

"Mmm, just thinking, Lloyd. I'll be fine."

"Okay," he said, and one of his hands strayed down absently to touch the braids in Colette's hair.

"Wake someone to take watch when you need to rest," Raine told him.

"Right."

"Lloyd?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

He blinked.

"You're welcome?" He scratched at the back of his head. She closed her eyes before he could ask what it was she was thanking him for. Stupid boy. Stupid, strong, wonderful boy. Raine felt Regal's arm move a little at her back as he shifted in his sleep and she wrapped an arm around Genis's shoulders where he lay curled against her chest. And she slept, long and deep and safe.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Argh, it's hard to comfort Regal. He's not the sort to ask for hugs. Neither is Raine, but it's easier to get inside her head._


	4. Comfort

It happened one night, in the spare office where Raine had all but moved in over the past few weeks for her research grant. Regal had brought her mail in with his and absently handed her a stack of envelopes as he passed by her desk. She'd absently accepted it, but an unusual size and texture had made her pause.

"Is this - ?"

Her tone of voice had made him pause as well.

"Is it - ?"

The wax seal winked in the lamplight, the personal seal of Zelos Wilder, Minister of Internal Affairs. Regal leaned politely over Raine's shoulder as she turned the missive over in her hands. With trembling fingers, she broke the seal and opened the crisply folded letter. It only took her a moment to scan the contents, her heart hammering in her chest.

"It is!"

Then she'd surprised him by throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him. And he'd surprised her by putting a hand on either side of her face and responding.

It was the elation and their bodies' natural instincts. They both knew it and the contact was only a breath long before she pulled away and began to read the letter again, summarizing the contents out loud. Regal still leaned over her shoulder, his hair brushing her cheek, and if both of them were breathing a little faster, neither one of them said anything about it.

"The law went through! There was a sizable opposition and there were a few compromising provisions, but it passed. The Half-Elf Equality Act is now law."

Nearly ten years of tension drained out of Raine's body as she slumped back into her chair.

"It passed," she repeated, holding the paper up to Regal.

"I had no doubt that it would," Regal assured her, taking the letter and reading it for himself.

The rest of the week was spent in writing letters, dealing with the celebratory party that Genis and Lloyd decided to throw in their hotel room when they came to visit, and the ever-constant stream of filing as Raine was in the middle of yet another move, this time back to Sybak. They very often worked shoulder to shoulder, but the kiss did not come up. But somewhere, at some point, they both knew that something had changed.

Raine was the one to bring it up a month later. She was visiting, back at her position at the Sybak research facility. She'd made an appointment for his time, telling the secretary not to tell him who it was waiting. She had no doubts as to his priorities and fairness in dealing with others, but she also knew that he'd drop nearly whatever he was doing whenever any of their old party visited. She knew he had work to do.

Predictably, he protested when she was finally admitted.

"Professor Sage, you should have had them tell me you were here."

"No, I didn't want to be disruptive."

"Believe me, your disruption is always welcome. Especially when I have to be reading patent approvals." He indicated a stack of papers as he pulled out a chair for her. She didn't sit, just rested her hands on the back. He didn't comment, just set himself behind his desk. He'd learned to relax a bit since she'd met him.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Regal, I owe you an apology."

He was smart, but he was also far more delicate and diplomatic than she in conversation, even with her past ten years of experience. He leaned forward gently.

"I'm sorry, but I don't recall any offense you would need to apologize for."

That made her stomach clench and release with an emotion that she honestly couldn't decide what to call. But she muscled through anyway.

"The night the letter came through for the Equality Act," she said, meeting his gaze. Ten years before, her fingers might have dug into the upholstery of the chair or she might have had to lock her knees and steel her spine, but now, she just looked at him and he looked back.

"I'm sorry," she said calmly, confidently. "I overstepped my bounds."

He was silent for a moment, then he raked one hand through his hair.

"Raine, may I be frank?"

"Please."

"You have nothing to apologize for. It was neither offensive nor unwelcome. It was... unexpected, but I did not object then and I would not object now."

He fiddled with his cufflinks, a small gesture that he had picked up since his shackles had been removed all those years back. But he was still looking at her.

"I care very deeply for you, Professor. I think you have a right to know. But I don't have any expectations, based on that night or otherwise. Please, be at ease as to your actions. If anything, I should be the one to apologize for making you uncomfortable."

Seeing Regal blush was always a novel experience. He was still serious, still certain of himself, but there was a gentle pink hue highlighting his cheekbones. Raine was fairly certain she herself might be blushing as well. It was so different from another confession she'd had, all those years ago, but it was more real, more honest.

"May I be frank in return, Regal?"

"Absolutely."

"Forgive me if this is insensitive, but what about Alicia?"

He didn't flinch or withdraw as the reminder might have done in years past. The shackles had been lifted away more than physically. But the way his gaze grew distant with memory for the briefest of moments and a tiny fond smile brushed across his lips put her at ease in more ways than one.

"Alicia is... gone, Raine." No matter the time passed, he still hesitated, if only for an instant. "I have no illusions about that. She has been laid to rest and her soul is at peace. She will always be a part of me and I'll always love her, but it no longer... holds me back."

Raine smiled at him, finding that she couldn't stop.

"Then I suppose I have no right to let it hold me back either."

Neither one of them moved. They made pleasant small talk, him about his work and her about her students, and if they smiled any longer or laughed any easier, it felt... right.

A week or so later, he appeared at the door of her rented apartment in Meltokio.

"You can be a hard woman to find," he quipped mildly after she had ushered him in. "Sybak sent me to Palmacosta before Palmacosta sent me here."

"Mmm, when I vowed to travel the world, I didn't take into account how much mail would have to be forwarded in the process," she agreed, clearing papers and books from one of her few chairs to give him a place to sit. "Palmacosta's library didn't have the materials I needed, so I'm borrowing the royal library for a few weeks."

"Ginnungagap research, yes?"

"Yes. Now that the Equality Act's begun to take effect, I needed something to occupy my time."

"Teaching doesn't do that?" He accepted the seat and the glass of water she offered in the absence of anything stronger.

She smiled.

"I used to be content with Iselia, did you know that? But since then, I find that I just want more. Still selfish, I guess."

He just laughed. She chuckled as well as she cleared off another seat and sat across from him.

"Besides, the academy is closed for a break at the moment."

"Oh, then perhaps you will find the time for this."

He pulled a small package from his jacket pocket.

"I didn't know if you had seen it yet."

She unwrapped the package and quirked an eyebrow at its contents.

"Interesting," she said, dragging the word out a bit longer than necessary.

'Locket of Evening; a novel of passions and life,' read the tiny paperback's title, 'by Marta Lualdi'. Raine stared at the cover for a long moment, trying to decide on the most tactful response, when a tiny sound drew her attention away. Regal had one hand over his mouth, the other supporting his elbow, evidently trying to keep from chuckling out loud at her expression.

"You're terrible," Raine scolded, resisting the urge Lloyd had once cultivated in her to throw the book at his head.

"I saw it yesterday at the resort gift shop and I thought you might appreciate it."

"Indeed. Winter is only six months away and heating can be expensive in the city." She let a wicked grin to match his own spread across her face. They chuckled together for a moment. They had learned this in the past ten years.

"No, I shouldn't be unkind. I'm glad the silly girl has finally gotten to enjoy herself a bit. I imagine the fallout from her father's doings is still difficult sometimes."

"She will manage," Regal said, sobering as well even if the indulgent smile didn't quite leave his face. "She is stronger than we all give her credit for. They both are." He and Raine had both been to the wedding a few years back.

Raine just sighed and shook her head, placing the book on her already dangerously overloaded side table.

"Colette might enjoy it," Regal suggested helpfully.

"Perhaps. Now, did you have any other purpose in calling besides spreading your love of questionable literature?"

"Not particularly, but if you have the time, I was wondering if you'd care to join me for lunch." How was it possible to be so assured and yet so shy at the same time?

And so they found themselves, arm in companionable arm, walking along the blistering streets of Meltokio. And if the lunch had turned into dinner and if he had laid the most gentlemanly of kisses on her knuckles and if there had been an understanding that this would happen again and soon, it just felt right.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I originally had planned to do another piece in-between this chapter and the last, dealing with the events of the sequel, but in all honesty, I've only played the game once and details are fuzzy. I do know that I didn't like the sequel all that much. It wasn't terrible, but it was vastly inferior - in my opinion - to the original _Symphonia. _It was what originally gave me the idea for this fic, what with the sudden inclusion of Raine/Regal flirting, but overall, I felt fairly content ignoring it. Maybe if I ever play it again, I'll take notes and maybe fill in a few gaps, which is really all these stories were ever meant to do. And this, this is the end of this collection for now, with promises of more in the future._


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